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NPETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D. C.

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JAMES W. SINGLETON, O1F QUINCY,'ILLINOIS. Letters .Piztent No; 60,798, dated January 1, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT ni GATES.

Be it known that I, JAMES W. SINGLETON,- of thev cityof Quincy, in the county of Adams, and State of' Illinois, have invented certain new and useful-Improvements in Apparatus for Opening and Closing Gates; and. I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction, arrangement, and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making apart of this specification, in. which- Figure 1 represents a front elevation of an open gate and of the apparatus used to operate it; and` Figure 2 a plan view of the same. y

Figure 3 is an elevation of part of the inside of the striking post, showing the catches..

The lcttersof reference indicate the same parts in the different figures.

My improvements relate to apparatus fer opening andv ciosing gates, and fastening and releasingthem' when open or closed, by the action of .the wheel of a carriage upon crank-levers placed in the roadway, one of which, actuating certain devices hereinafter described, causes the gateto beunlatclrcd, opened, and held in that position. The wheel passing over the lever on the opposite side of the gate causes itto be released, closed, and latched. The said levers are reciprocal in their operation, the depression of either of thlem' towards the gate producing the rst-mentioned effect, and their depression from the gate the latter.

The gate is hung by vertical journals or pivots, the lower one resting: in a step, the upper one having its bearing in a plate xed to the gate-post, B; or it may be hinged in any equivalent manner which wil admit of its free movement to the extent of 180. When closed it is held in that position by two drop-latches, e'z, 'xed upon the post, C. On either side'of the gate-post B, in the line` therewith, and at a distance therefrom sufficient to admit the length of a carriage and horses, I place theapparatus for actuating the gate. They are identical in construction and operation, and consist of the rock-shafts, t os, having their bearings on the blocks, I) b and d d', raised a suicient distance above the surface of the ground to admitof the free revolution ofthe segment-- wheels, e e', which, with the smaller wheels, i 17, are keyed upon the roch-shafts a el. Granlrs, c c', are each attached at one end to the rock-shafts a al, and have their outer bearings on the blocks J d. They act as levers to rotate the shafts, and are elongated in order to facilitate their being struck by the wheel of an approachingvehicle. The segments e c have attached to their peripheries cords, E c, which, after taking a turn once round the heel-post, L, of the gate, A, are secured thereto. The functions of these cords are to open the. gate when .actuated by either` of the segments e e `when revolved towards the gate'. These cords may be substituted by chains or by rods at those partsywhere exibility is not required. Upon the gate-p-ost B a slotted plate, m, is4 secured by means of screws or bolts passing through the slots, fn, admitting of a limited vertical action. At o o', on k k', branch cords, pp', are attached, leadingover,` pulleys, r 1"',to an eye-bolt, s, in the'plate These branches may be supplied with elastic springs, t, and their function is to elevate the plate m when tension is applied thereto. When this tension is not applied the plate m falls by its own gravity, or it may be aided in its descent by a suitable spring or weight. At the upper end of 'm is a forward projection, u, which, when the gate is closed, rests under the end: of the bar, c, which, working in slots, is pivoted at a. The other end of this bar forms the latch, and is held between the gravitating catches z a', upon the striking-post C. Shortposts, aZ and a3, are placed in suitable positions to receive the end of the gate A when opened in either direction. Slots are cut in these posts to admit the cords c 7c and ll to rest therein. Pivoted to the side of cach is a counter'- balaneed catch, y y', for the purpose of holding back the gate A when open in either direction.

The opening and closing of the gate are performed as follows, viz: A carriage approaching the ciosed gate is caused to run one wheel, w, against the crank-lever c, causing it to describe an arc of 90", or the fourth part of a circle, with the shaft'a and segment-Wheel e; the cord k, through its branch at o, elevates the plate m; the projection h raises the end of the pivoted rail or bar c, lowering its opposite end, and thereby releasing tho gate from the catch e', theimain part of the cord simultaneously exerting its force upon the heel-post, round which it is wound, swings it round in a direction from the carriage against the post a3, where it is caught and held back by the catch y. As soon as the carriage passes Vthe crank it resumes its vertical position by the pre- Vponderance of the opposite portion of the segment, which may be increased by weighting it if its form does not produce sufeient effect. The carriage is then directed against the lever o', which, being moved 90 from the gate, exerts a -tension on the cord l', which, rising in its slot, trips the catch y and releases the gate, at the same time swinging it towards the post C, where, striking against the inclined edge ot' the catch z', it elevates it, and is caught between the vertical edge of z, while that of z falls into position and prevents its return. If moretlxan one o1' a train o' vehicles have to pass through, 'it is only necessary that the wheel oi' the leading one should strike the lever c, but no harm is done if all should do so; but the lastoarriageonly should strike the other lever, as otherwise the gate would be prematurely closed.

The above-desorihed apparatus may either beioperated entirely aboveA the surface oi' the ground, as shown in the drawings, or the cords may be conducted through tubes below the ground. It is equally `-'applicable to double gates; but when they are used the heel-posts should be elongated and the steps set in a box beneath the surface, a crossed band passing' under-ground round the heels of both gates, causing them to openl and close simultaneously.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, iss The apparatus, constructed and arranged substantially as herein described, for the purpose of opening and closing gates and fastening and releasing them when either open or closed, aslierein set forth.

JAS. W. SNGLETON,

Witnesses Az JOHN S. HoLLINGsHnAD, lWM. J. FAHERTY, 

